7 Steps to Help You Land a Non-Profit Job

October 5, 2011 RSS Feed Print

Miriam Salpeter

News that hiring in non-profit organizations could be picking up may provide an incentive to consider a career change. However, the transition from working in the for-profit world to a non-profit career is not always an easy switch. Are you out-of-luck if you haven’t already delved into working with “mission organizations,” or is there still a chance?

With the right information and a planned approach, it is possible for a well-qualified candidate with corporate experience to transition to a job with one of the over 1.5 million non-profit organizations in the U.S.

[See 50 Best Careers for 2011.]

Marci Alboher is a vice president at Civic Ventures, a non-profit think tank leading the call for encore careers, which they describe as jobs “combining personal fulfillment, social impact, and continued income, enabling people to put their passion to work for the greater good.” An expert on career transitions and workplace trends, she is author of One Person/Multiple Careers. She also coined the term “slasher career” to refer to people who can’t answer the question “What do you do?” with a single word or phrase.

Alboher offers the following suggestions, insights, and resources to help you shift to a non-profit career:

[See How to Find a Job in a "Jobless Economy".]

Become a “slasher.” (e.g. sales rep/literacy mentor). This could play out in two ways. Slashing can help you transition from your current field into a non-profit job. If that’s your target, Alboher suggests you hold onto your day job while you dip into the nonprofit world on the side (using the suggestions below). By taking the slash approach, you’ll be able to continue earning a living and simultaneously build skills and relationships to help you transition to the non-profit sector. Keep in mind, you may earn less in a new non-profit job, so your financial plan may include saving some money while you are planning your career change.

On the other hand, you may wish to create a permanent “slash” career, where you have one foot each planted in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds. Either way, follow the advice below and carefully carve out time for each of the sides of your “slash.”

Volunteer in organizations where you have a strong interest and you can create real impact. Don’t just set aside a few days a year to work with Habitat for Humanity, for example. Incorporate high-level volunteer work and make a real effort to be involved in substantive projects that expose you to the field and introduce you to people doing the kind of work you want to do for a living.

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Consult. Take on a consulting project for a nonprofit as a way to showcase your skills. If you choose to work for free, make sure you’re building relationships, knowledge, or something else to help you as you try to find a paying job. Non-profits appreciate and seek employees who are passionate about their missions, so it makes sense to identify issues and organizations you may want to work with for the long term.

Meet people. Leverage your social networks to help. Consider using Branchout (a Facebook application) or SimplyHired.com’s application to help you learn where your Facebook friends work. Add your volunteer interests and work experience to LinkedIn via the “add sections” tab when you update your profile. Search on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ for groups and people either working for or actively involved in non-profits that interest you.

Get involved in your target sector. Go to conferences or panel discussions. Look for Twitter “chats” about your interest area. Reach out on Facebook and LinkedIn to your friends. Update your Facebook status to let people know when and where you are volunteering. Share information and news about your favorite non-profit organizations and causes via your social media platforms. Subscribe to LinkedIn’s newsfeed on nonprofit news. If you’re a good writer, consider authoring a blog highlighting those interests.

[See 8 Danger Signs When You're Job Searching.]

Show up. Once you identify organizations that interest you, go to their events and attend to conferences where you might be able to meet people who work in those organizations.

Dig in. Keep up-to-date on what’s happening in your field. Use social media to identify leaders in the fields that interest you and follow them. In addition to exploring Encore.org, where Alboher works, she suggests the following resources for non-profit career job seekers:

• Job search: Idealist.org and Commongoodcareers.org

• News in the non-profit sector: Dowser.org, Good Magazine, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

• Volunteering: VolunteerMatch.org, catchafire.org, AllForGood.org, Idealist.org

Miriam Salpeter is a job search and social media consultant, career coach, author, speaker, resume writer and owner of Keppie Careers. She is author of Social Networking for Career Success . Miriam teaches job seekers and entrepreneurs how to incorporate social media tools along with traditional strategies to empower their success. Connect with her via Twitter @Keppie_Careers.

Tags:: baby boomers,; careers

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Robojx17 of KY 5:31AM April 28, 2013

This is great information for anyone thinking about making this transition. I just referred a woman of a certain age who relocated to Michigan from Connecticut. She was making a mid range six figure salary in magazine publishing and we all know where that business is going. . . . I encouraged her to think about the non-profit world and all the possibilities to transfer her skill sets and make a real difference.

Molly MacDonald of MI 12:42AM October 13, 2011

I tend to agree, based on my many years of volunteering with some expectation of it leading to a job. Why would a nonprofit PAY me to do something I'm already doing for them for FREE? Once that lightbulb went on in my head, I 1) reduced my volunteer hours, 2) focused on just two ogranizations and 3) adjusted my expectations. Remember: Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

Katherine of MN 2:57PM October 12, 2011